Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-04-01
MYSTERIES OF PARIS,
Dark and Dangerous Resorts
Of the French Metropolis.
Vaults and Cellars Where Murlerers
and Thieves 0ongregats.

night some one proposed that We should
visit tho cellars near the Central mar
set', writes Paris correspondent Of the
New York Sun. In the Faubourg du
Temple, at La Chapello, and in the
neighborhood Of the Place Maubert
these cellars or vaults below grog shops
are famous as the resort Of thieves and
bad characters. They are among the
sights Of. criminal. Paris which the stran-
ger rarely visits, however much his
curiosity may have been awakened by
the descriptions given by Eugene Sue
IN lis "Mysteries Of Paris. So
we made up party Of three, and be-
tween / and in the morning we ar
rived at the Central markets. We left
them 70 their Dreams and descended BY
narrow staircase into series Of vaults,
the whitewashod ceilings Of which were
covered with arabesques and names
written i'll black with She smoke Of
candle. In one part Of these vaults
group Of men were drinking and singing
parodies Of church hymns.
This did not come up to our expecta-
tions, SO we went to "La Jcune France"
a famous cellar where man had been
assassinated only few nights before.
We passed through gate, down one
fight Of narrow stairs, then stopping
low we passed under an archway re-
served in the foundations of the house,
down another flight of stairs, then
through another archway, along tor
tuous passage, and SO to a tunnel about
seven feet high, five feet broad and
twenty feet long. The vault Of the roof
was covered with green trelliswork,
there were benches and rush stools to
sit upon; wooden tables bearing the
marks Of strife; and to light US, two
gas-jets. We were here at the very end
Of the m usetrap, and we now under
stood why the police never enter these
"cavcaux"-thero is no possibility Of
fair fight When we entered the tea
yean' there was nobody there, but
after we had ordered some wine two
musicians came in. the ono was Il
miserable pale fellow. half starved and
half blind, with chin blonsse mousss
tache. He sang and accompanied him
self by striking a few chords on guitary
The other was a short, bony man, with a
black beard, drunken blue eyes, round
shoulders and an appearance of humili-
ty, as if he were constantly afraid of re-
ceiving kick. He sang in turn, strum-
ming on a single bass chord. The tip
given by some watcher soon brought
four other visitors-a bury rutfian, who
wore a huge rcd fcz rising eighteen
inches above his crown, a young man
wearing a thin cotton blouse, and two
others dressed in cast off clothes ol
fashionable cut, without a vestigc
Of linen The humble musician sang,
above all things, an air from 'AIignon,"
keeping bis eyes fixed on the ground as
he sang, and pointing to his heart with
an awkward gesture whenever the word
'hcarl" occurred in the romance. Sud
denly one after another half dozen
athletic, square shouldered men, vary
ing in age from seventeen to twenty five,
crept through the narrow archway, pass
ing rapidly in without even gancing at
our table, and massed themselves at the
end Of the vaut, lolling on the benches,
smoking cigarettes, and drinking at our
expense, for We thought it only polite
10 off.r these gentlemen glass Of wine,
th9lnore so as the musicians were play
ing for cur amusement. After "Mignon"
the 'fuffian with the red fez asked for
the guitar, took tuning fork out of
his pocket, snapped it with his teeth,
and tuned the instrument properly. Then
the rufiian in the cotton blouse rose and
with fine voice, perfect sentiment and
correct gestures, sang other airs from
'4Iignon," and also from Carmen. 7"
| An the ruffians listened in perfect
silence to the singer, who was a real
artist, and two women who had joined
the band melted into tears at the end,
one Of them exclaiming: "Ah, music ]!
When | hear 'Mgnon' | can't help If.
cry like calf" The scene appeared
| to be idyllc rather than brigandish and
terrible Howevever, it appeared after
all that we might We been in better
company, for at sign from the waiter
| slipped out Of tic vault. "You had
better give the word to your friend TO
come up stairs. The band is almost
au compIet, and it is the very band that
assassinated a man here last week. II
their chief happens to come in you might
get in trouble" We did not wait to be
warned twice, but wished the gentlemen
good evening, ascended the staircase
without undue precipitation, and yet
with a kind Of internal sensation Of
rapidity.
After leaving LA Jeune France" we
visited three or four less interesting es-
adjustments 1t was the same spectacle
in each Of them. Nothing at all like the
descriptions given by Eugene Sue, and
the narratives Of other explorers of
Paris. Caivator Rosa's Lrigands are as
unreal and conve tional as his stormy
landscapes
A Gentle Hint.
ae was an ardent but an economical